Forgotten Tributes
by T.j.98
Summary: The hovercraft was shot down, the tributes never made it to the arena. Now they are forced to cooperate to survive. They must wait until rescue. Do they even want to be rescued? Parings for non-main characters revealed as story progresses. Should not be read by those younger than 14.
1. Chapter 1: Aftermath

The young man with golden blond hair opens his eyes slowly, his whole body aching and sprawled upon moist autumn foliage. He continued to lie upon his front, groaning in pain with every attempt to get back upon his feet. He finally decided to catch his breath for a little bit, and memories flooded back to him in an instant. The reaping, the interviews, training, parades, love. Then IT happened. We were waiting in the hovercraft, on our way to the arena, sirens went off, peacekeepers told us to buckle in tight, it felt like free fall, then everything went blank. His senses are returning, he's beginning to reorient, near by can be heard the burning of fires and the crackling of singed metal. He makes one last attempt to get up. He gets on his knee, then it buckles under the weight and he turns, now sitting up. As his vision is no longer blurry, he can clearly see the wreckage, a charred husk of iron and steel, burning away. I begins to notice frayed ropes wrapped around his burly body, the ropes leading in a dangled and knotted mess until leading to the torn half of a parachute, the other half hanging from the branch of an ancient and towering tree. The sun hangs low over the horizon, as though morning the wreck, but it's probably just morning the lost night. From out of the bushes, a rustling noise can be heard. Expecting a possible threat, the young man got up with all his strength. Despite wobbling legs and lack of feeling in in left ankle down, he raised his fists and expected a fight. Let it never be said he went down without a fight.

From the bushes stumbles not a threatening tribute of snarling mutt, but a shrimpy brown haired boy of about twelve, with scrawny build and a frightful gaze. The boy stumbles out into the artificial glade, his eyes meeting with the blond haired herculean of between sixteen and eighteen years in age. The younger and weaker of the two spoke first after waiting for the other in vain. The younger ones voice was frightened and shaky, as though even his lungs were scrawny. "H-h-hello." The bigger boy looked at the smaller ones clothes, they were tribute clothes just like his, only the smaller boy wore clothes of mustard yellow, unlike his own. The bigger one looked at the smaller on for sone time, before asking.

"I guess you survived too, see any others?"

The smaller one inched closer into the newly formed glade and answered.

"I saw some others in the trees."

The smaller one held up the one of the torn ropes that covered his body, in case the other didn't understand. He then continued.

"After I gnawed at my ropes, I had to climb down, I'm not sure which took longer. I bet it was hours."

This made the older one think, if this little one spent hours escaping his cloth, then he must have been out for a long time.

He asked, "What time was it when you woke up in the tree?"

The little one answered nervously. "I was awake the whole time, it was too fast to fully recall, but I know it was night when I was launched out of the hovercraft."

"If you were awake the whole time, then what happened?"

The little one didn't hesitate to comply, for fear of what should happen if he doesn't. "We were waiting in the hovercraft, and th-then the peacekeepers told us all to strap in, and then they headed to the pilots room, an-and t-then we were all shot out and the top was opened for us and a metal missile appeared out of nowhere and rammed into the hovercraft and the wind took us around and I landed in the tree."

He pointed the way he came to indicate where he came from, then he turned his head slowly to what the bigger one was had fixed his gaze upon the whole time. His mouth opened and he too looked at the wreckage.

After staring at it for some time, the younger one asked the bigger one a question. "Shouldn't we help the others down, in case help doesn't arrive yet?"

For ten, maybe twenty minuets, the bigger one made no movement. Just when it seemed that he wouldn't budge, he got up and began to head in the direction of the smaller smaller one, despite being dwarfed heavily by the other lead the way, for he knew the way.

"I think their right over there, we just need to go past that stream."

The stream in question was barley more than a trickle, probably less than a foot across and six inches deep. They crossed the stream and hiked further for some time, through thick woods, until they came to one of the other survivors. After trying in vain to climb the large pine, he pushed the smaller one to the first branch, then yelled up.

"I'm too heavy, you need to go."

The smaller one, though wanting to protest, admitted to himself that the bigger one was right and that rescuing the others was his own idea. The smaller one climbed up, branch by branch, trying to balance haste and caution. Finally, after an agonizing half hour, he reached the parachute. Agonizing over weather or not to gnaw at the ropes, the smaller one decided to untangle as many as possible, and gnaw those he couldn't. He held onto the parachute when it began to slip, and struggled to hold onto it. In a foolhardy last-minute desigion, he threw the parachute over him so it's precious cargo doesn't slip and fall. Climbing down was slower than ever before, as caution won out and haste was abandoned. One wrong slip could spell death.

Finally, the smaller one reaches the bottom and casts the parachute off himself, being sure to lay the previous cargo safely on the ground. The bigger one begins to pull the parachute off the person, whom is partially covered by the cloth. As he's about to pull it off, he senses something wrong. Someone is watching them. Turning around, he just sees something hide behind a nearby tree, whatever it is, it's high up in the woods. The bigger one turns to the smaller one, who's facial expression confirm that they both saw it.

The smaller one asked fearfully, "w-w-what was that?"

"I don't know."

The bigger one continued to roll the parachute off the tribute. Beneath it lies a stunningly beautiful young woman of about seventeen years, a blond clad in green tribute clothes and parachute ropes. She didn't respond to their shaking, so the older boy felt her rist, a look on his face that made it clear he feared the worst.

The smaller one asked the obvious question. "I-is she d-d-d..."

He couldn't finish the sentence. The older boy answered no less, a look of immense relief coming over his face.

"No, she's just unconscious. We'll need to carry her until she wakes up."

As the older boy begins to pick up the young woman with intense care, the younger one asked a question.

"You haven't told me your name yet, you at least owe me that."

The older boy ignored the small one and began to head towards the direction of the sound, so the younger one decided to take a risk.

"I'll tell you mine, my names Matthew Edison, I'm from district 3."

It seemed like the older boy was doing to leave him alone, but the bigger one turned around and surprised Matthew.

"I'm Cato Hardley, I'm the district 2 tribute."

Matthew took that as answer enough, and ran to catch up to Cato. They headed to see what was watching them.


	2. Chapter 2:Finding the others

After giving up on finding the stalker, they returned to where Matthew saw the other survivor. While traveling, Matthew decided to get some questions answered.

"So, do you know her?"

Cato took a little time answering this question, he was cradling her in his arms as one would a treasure.

"Yes ... her names Glimmer."

While answering this inquiry, memories arose. Memories of flirtatious or outright affectionate conversations, of much arousing tension during elevator rides and other moments alone. Of feelings he never felt before and that he couldn't quite work out, perhaps something more than sexual lust? Of last night when he went up to the roof of the training facility. She still isn't awake yet. Eventually they reach two parachutes caught in trees. On of them had their ropes cut and their cargo missing, as though the ropes had grown weary of their former occupant and sent him on his marry way. Cato and Matthew didn't notice that immedieatly, what the noticed was the second caught parashute, with some ropes torn but not all, tangled is a knotted mesh, holding firm to the occupants foot. A peacekeeper, probably the pilot, is hanging upside down from his foot, dead. His helmet has fallen off, his face is so purple it's nearly black, blood drips slowly from his mouth as his hands dangle as though reaching for the ground. Matthews legs become wobbly, so he grips a nearby sapling for support, covering his eyes with his hands. Though outwardly appearing aloof, Cato felt his stomach sicken despite being hardened by a lifetime of training. Cato was mentally capable of murdering someone his age, he was mentally capable of murdering someone younger than him, he wasn't mentally able to deal with someone hanging upside down and drowning in their own blood. He was glad Glimmer wasn't conscious to see this, though she probably also trained her whole life to be a killing machine like him.

"Let's keep going."

They headed forward until they reached a glade, one not caused by a hovercraft crash. In the center of the glade lay a girl with the same mustard yellow attire as Matthew, the girl looked about one year older than Matthew, and no parachute could be found. As they approached the girl, it became clear that she was dead, as apparent from the displaced dirt around her and the petrified look on her pale, cold face.

Cato spoke. "Her shoot must not have opened."

Matthews strength failed him, he fell to his knees and cried silently before his dead tribute partner. It wasn't for her alone that he cried, for the reaping was the first time they met. No, Matthew was weeping because it could have easily been him who's shoot didn't open, who met his mortality by circumstances he couldn't control. The prospect that he could die at any moment from unpreventable causes was too much for the physically weak twelve year old. For awhile he sat there and weeped silently, his only noises being periodical whimpering, while Cato held a not yet conscious Glimmer in his arms, not providing any support to, but also not ridiculing Matthew. He thought about how he would react if Glimmer died, he thought about this even before the crash.

Eventually, Matthew stopped crying, and Cato went over to the corpse. "We should take the shoot, it might be needed later on."

He gently placed Glimmer on the ground, then rolled the district 3 female over and unbuckled the still packed parachute backpack and handed it to Matthew, before rolling the dead girl back on her back, so she faced up. He then handed Matthew the pack and picked up Glimmer carefully, as one would a treasure. Despite being unconscious and slightly bruised, Glimmer still looked as gorgeous as normal, this Cato thought. They headed to the other side of the glade and re-entered the woods.

While in the woods, they heard something approaching. This time, it's obviously more than one person, and they were all on the ground. Realizing that it he's out numbered, Cato gingerly props Glimmer up against a tree, picks up a nearby rock, and while holding it readies his fists. Matthew readies his shaking fists, but he's obviously terrified. They both stand between Glimmer and the approaching foes.

The approaches voices can be heard. "Fine, we can meet up with fire bitch if we see her, but I'm heading to the hovercraft weather or not you come."

Into sight tromp Marvel, the district one male, and lover boy, who seems upset by the last comment. Peeta and Marvel finally see Cato and Matthew, who are prepared. He charges at the two, pinning Peeta against a nearby oak tree. When Marvel tries to rip Cato away, Cato punches him with a force that sends him to his feet. Matthew then climbs on top of Marvels stomach so he can't regain his footing. Cato holds the rock in his hands, ready to bash in Peeta's brains.

"Now you tell my what the hellfire you're doing out here, and where your coal whore's hiding. "

Peeta became annoyed with the insults fired at his love, but any attempt to defend her honor would surely result in a skull smashing. "We fell out of the sky just like you did, we haven't found Katniss yet, that's why we're looking for her."

Marvel, throwing Matthew off his torso and sitting up, commented. "Speak for yourself, I honestly do not care if fire bitch blew up in the crash. "

Cato spent some time dwelling on weather or not to kill them, giving thought to each pro and con. Peeta was rather strong, not nearly as strong as Cato, but still a heavyweight. Peeta couldn't be trusted and would slit his throat the first chance he got. Marvel was also a career and more likely to be trustable, but wasn't vary strong and depended on projectile weapons, of which they don't have. Peeta could help with survival tasks and they needed all the help they could get, Peeta couldn't be trusted. The coal whore would be upset by Peeta being killed, but it didn't matter as she had no bow. Cato finally decided that he wouldn't decide until the others got here. He threw Peeta on the ground and gave him his welcome.

"Alright, I'll let you live for now, but just you wait until Clove gets here. Just you wait."

Marvel punched Matthew in the stomach, and got back to his feet. After discussing the best way to round up the whole gang, it was decided that heading back to the burning hovercraft bits would be best. The wreckage would act as a beacon to all to come. They begin to head out, Cato carrying Glimmer in his gentle grip. They spent hours searching around, so the sun will be setting for night. Cato hoped they'd get back to the metal and fire before then. It will be hard to travel in the dark.


	3. Chapter 3:Gathering beacon

After hiking through the woods, past the district 3 girl who's shoot failed to launch, past the peacekeeper who's shoot proved to be his end, they finally reach the camp. From what Cato picked up from conversation, Marvel and lover boy landed near each-other, and decided that together they had better chances of finding the hovercraft. Peeta wanted to look for his love, but after arguing, they agreed to group up with her if if they found her along the way. They waited in the artificial glade, the fire still burning strong and even stronger at night. Cato propped Glimmer up against an overturned tree, and began to collect firewood from the scraps.

"Come on lover-boy, help get tinder for this fire. Unless you don't want your girlfriend to find us."

Though only joking, Cato and Peeta both knew it was true, so he gathered wood for the fire. He eventually went into the woods that wee neaby, and collects green branches.

"This fire needs more smoke if anyone will see it. "

Once they were both exhausted, they now played the waiting game. Marvel sat up staring into the flames, as thought to divulge secrets. Matthew was already fast asleep. Soon the others came to the beacon. First the district 8 female reached the camp, shivering and soaked in water. Though Marvel and Cato did nothing, and Matthew was still asleep, Peeta retrieved the torn parachute half the was on the ground nearby from Cato's landing, and handed it to her. She nodded her thanks, went to the edge of the glade where she could have privacy, and change out her wet clothes. Wrapped in the makeshift blanket, she placed the clothes near the fire so they could dry off, and sat down next to the clothes so she would dry off. Cato and Marvel ignored her. Next came Thresh, who sat down on the opposite side of the fire so it burned between him and the rest of the group, Seeing him on the other side was the only reason they knew he was there. As it got later, eventually Clove came, holding her balled up parachute under her left arm. Blood was splattered over her face and chest, but apart from that she looked healthy. Cato noticed the blood.

"Hope your landing wasn't too rough, Clove."

She shook her head, then explained.

"Not my blood."

Though she didn't say so, her smile indicated she killed something, maybe another tribute. Peeta stood up and got both angry and horrified.

"Who did you kill, did you kill Katniss?!"

This woke up Matthew, who moved out from between the two. Peeta continued, now anger rising in his voice.

"Did you kill Katniss?"

Clove taunted him. "What's wrong lover boy?"

Peeta was now very angry, picking up a nearby rock, and lifting his hand as to throw it. "Did you kill Katniss?!"

Clove was having fun with this, obviously not fearing him. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Does it even matter?"

This was the exact point where Peeta lost his temper. "You killed Katniss?, I'll rip your damned head off!"

He was about to charge towards Clove, holding the rock in one hand and making a fist with the other. Matthew tried to intervine, standing between the two.

"Calm down Peeta, we need to work together. Maybe she thought we were in the games?"

Clove showed her gratitude to Matthew for trying to defuse the situation. "Shut up, Sparky!"

As Peeta was about smash Clove with the rock, Cato grabbed his throwing arm and pulled Peeta onto the ground with it. He put his foot on Peeta's chest it prevent getting back up.

"What did I tell you? I said I'd only spare you until Clove got here. We'll guess what, you times running short."

Matthew tried again to defuse the situation. "Cato, we need to work together of we want to survive out here. "

Clove punched him in the face so hard he fell on his bum. "I told you to shut up! Me and Cato don't need anyone. So unless you want to die like lover boy, stay out of our way!"

Matthews took this warning and scooted away. However, Thresh began to get up and walk around the bonfire to them, his hands fists. Clove and Cato didn't notice. "So, should we crush his throat right now?"

A smile spread over Cloves face. "No, let's have some fun with him."

Clove began kicking his weak area repeatedly while Cato held him down with his foot and prevented retaliation. Thresh was almost to them, intent on saying Peeta's life.

Out of the woods, Katniss Everdeen found her way into the artificial glade. Upon seeing her district partner being assaulted, she quickly formulated a plan. Picking up a fallen branch, she would distract Cato and Clove. She hoped they would attack her instead, and that her 'weapon' could give her an advantage. If worst came to worst, she'd disappear into the woods and elude the two. She picked up a rock, and threw it at Clove. Maybe because it was a small rock, or maybe because Clove was extremely strong, but eat her way the rock bounced off her harmlessly. Clove and Cato turned around, giving Peeta enough time to crawl away and be helped up by Thresh. Cato spoke first.

"Well well well, look who decided to join the party."

With equal relief and amazement, Peeta gasped at what he saw. "Katniss! Your still alive?"

Clove turned around and commented. "I never said she wasn't, but give us a reason why we should spare either of you?"

Katniss couldn't think of a response, but Thresh already did. "Maybe because we need to work together?"

Cato pondered this for some time. On one hand, the nether he nor Clove trusted the others, and suspected they'd betray them. On the other hand, being in a group offered protection from outside beasts, as well as extra help in survival tasks. Apart from that, it would only be until rescue comes. He looked at Clove, who must have come to the same conclusion.

"Fine, we'll cooperate, but if I even suspect one of you of back-stabbing, I'll snap your throat."

Thresh sat down on the north side of the fire, Peeta and Katniss went to the east side of the fire, Cato and Clove sat next to a not yet conscious Glimmer on the south side. Marvel went to join them, Matthew went to sleep on the west edge of the fire, a few feet from the district 8 girl who was still curled up in the makeshift blanked in an attempt to get warmth. A rustling can be heard in the nearby woods, but stronger than wind. Clove shouted into the woods.

"Rue, if you don't stop sneaking around, I'll cave your skull in!"

From the other side of the fire, a soft voice can be heard next to Thresh. "It's not me, Clove."

Cato became slightly nervous, if it wasn't Rue, it must be someone else. Perhaps a mutt, probably a threat.


	4. Chapter 4: Water

The sun creeped up over the horizon, they all slept in. When they woke up, they were thirsty and weak, they hadn't eaten or drank at all yesterday. When Cato woke, he at first comforted to find Glimmers arm over his chest, but then surprised. Wasn't Glimmer unconscious? Cato jumped up and looked at Glimmer, who also had gotten up with a start.

"Glimmer, your not out anymore. When did you regain consciousness?"

Glimmers sat up, smiled, and answered him. " I woke up in the night, and noticed we were in the woods, then I remembered the crash."

She then smiled seductively at Cato and whispered. "That's not the only thing I remember."

There was no doubt in Cato's mind what she was referring to. One by one, the members of the group got up. The district 8 girl was wearing her tribute clothes, they must have dried off during the night. Cato looked at her and remembered; she knows where water is. "You, where is the water?"

She look terrified at Cato, probably fearing him. "It's over this way."

The group heads into the woods, all thirsty, all wanting a sip. Finally, they reach the source, a large stream that's almost a river, a tiny stream leading off to a nearby pond. As the others bend down to drink some with their hands, Matthew and Katniss hesitate.

Matthew brings up a valid point."We should boil the water before drinking it, it could be bad."

In between a sip from his cupped hands, Marvel rebuts. "That's only for still water. And besides, this water taste alright."

All but Marvel stop drinking, however, and agree to boil the water. While Marvel drowns his thirst, They head back and recover the other half of Cato's patashute, which was in the branch of a tree. Once recovered, they tie sturdy branches around the sides so it forms a makeshift pot. They head back to the river with the pot, Peeta, Cato, and Thresh carrying tinder. When they get there,

Marvel is reclined with his head on a boulder, clearly relaxing. "I'm telling you, your wasting your time."

Just like the other three times, the fire Matthew lights flares up in a large plume, the sinks back into cinders.

Clove became impatient. "I thought you knew how to light a fire?"

Cato was also upset, and made it clear. "How useless are you?"

Matthew, is an act of surprising bravery, retorted. "At least I can climb a tree. If you think this is so easy, then let's see you try it."

Cato too him up on his offer. "Fine, maybe I will."

However, he faced the opposite problem. The fires he started were consistent in size, but spread too slowly and were put out by the smallest brease. Peeta tried next, but couldn't even get the fire lit.

Katniss finally decided to try, but after two failed attempts, she finally realized the problem. "These are no good, we need some tinder that's more flammable."

With a sigh, Cato and the others got they went out into the woods, Cato saw the sleeping Marvel, and kicked him fiercely. "Get up, lazy! There's no way we're working while you relax."

After overcoming the initial suprise, Marvel got up and followed the group, grumbling as he went. "A simple please would have sufficed."

After scrounging the woodlands for an hour, the group met again at the river, this time with large amounts of dry leaves, wild grasses, and other flammables. Matthew tried again to light the fire, it flared up like before, only this time it stayed burning. Cato went over to a nearby tree and tore off eight branches. He carried them back and set up a support to hold the pot in place. Rue filled it with water and placed it in the support. After some time, the water became safe and they all drank their fill. Katniss placed her hand on her stomach, for she hadn't eaten in twenty eight hours at least. The others felt similar, The district 8 female watched the river, looking for fish. Yet there were none, and even if she could see any there was no way to catch them. Thresh tried crushing dried grass in his hand, and then chewing on it.

Cato addressed the elephant in he the room. "We have water now, but we need food. Does anyone know how to get food?"

They all looked around at eachother, hoping someone will step up. Peeta tried suggesting something. "I can bake breads, "

Peeta couldn't think of a way to continue. Thresh gave a suggestion. " If we had grain ... "

He trailed off, for they had found no grain or wild grass-like grains. Katniss knew how to hunt, but had no bow.

Still, she spoke. "I can hunt. It will take time to make a bow, but until then I'll make snares to catch small prey. I try to teach you to too."

Cato also looked up, as did Clove. "I can throw a spear well."

"And I can throw knives."

Katniss continued. "Good, then we can hunt."

Cato looked around at the vast wilderness and grinned. "Good, then we can prosper here."

Matthew used this impromptu meeting to address an important issue. " We should build shelters, it might rain soon. "

Peeta looked up, but the others didn't pay attention to Matthew. He continued. "If we collect all the landing cloths, we can use them as tents. Then we won't be exposed to the elements. "

The others ignored Matthew, but Peeta and the Rue seemed to think this was a good idea.

Rue suggested. "We could climb and retrieve the landing cloths from the trees while Peeta builds the frames."

Matthew was so happy that his idea was listened to, he wasn't upset by Marvels taunting. "Why would we need shelters, these outfits reflect heat." They all felt comfortable, this was a good place.


	5. Chapter 5:Adapting

A wooden spear is thrown through the air, it hits its target. The target, a large deer, shrieks out in pain and falls dead. The thrower, Cato, walks over to the deer corpse, and rips the spear out of it crassly. Then, grabbing the beast from the legs, Cato hoists it over his shoulders. As Cato lugged the hundred pound meat back to the camp, blood dripped from its neck wound and ran down Cato's arm. He didn't take notice of it. On the way, rustling and crunching can be heard. Despite suspecting the same stalker, Cato can only turn his head and scan for the phantom.

Once reaching the camp, Cato slung the catch on the ground near the north-east corner of the crash/fire with a thud. Then he spread the deer on its back. Without needing invitation, Clove ran up to the kill and pulled out a flint knife. As she cut down from the sternum, Cato held the deer in place, and they talked. "How'd you manage to kill this thing?"

"With a spear, it's not that complicated."

She finished cutting, and Cato started pulling out the innards while Clove cut the membrane linking them to the spine. "Must feel good to finally kill something, Cato?"

"I'm sure it would if I wasn't so hungry. But I'm glad we have food now. Say, where are the others?"

Clove slit the diaphragm while Cato continued to pull the innards out. Blood gushed out heavily. "Glimmers boiling some fresh water, Marvel and Thresh are off hunting, fire girls checking her snares, and I think lover-boys off collecting sheets with Sparky and that Rue girl."

Clove cut the last of the membranes and Cato pulled out the last of the blood. Clove then looked at Cato and asked. "Do we really need to work with the other tributes, Marvel, Glimmer and you are the only ones I trust. "

Though agreeing, Cato knew they stood a better chance in a large group." It's only until help arrives."

Clove pounded her knife through the center of the pelvic bone, while Cato held the meat in place. "Nice knife, how long did it take you to make?"

"Just an hour and a half, I can help you make one if we find more flint. How long did that spear take?"

They finally pulled the colon out. After placing the liver aside for later, Cato dumped the guts into the fire. "Marvel made it actually, but I think I should make my own." They then impaled the meats on wooden spears had held them over the fire to cook.

While Cato and Clove dealt with food, Matthew and Rue tried to fish parachutes out of the trees, while Peeta collected the ones they threw down. Rue was freeing a slightly torn parachute from the top of a pine, while calling down to Matthew who was at still only a quarter of the way up. "Your taking too long, climb faster. "

Matthew climbed up a branch above him slowly, then once safely ahold, answered. "It's not that easy."

Rue continued to free the parachute from the treetop. "Don't they have any trees where you come from?"

Matthew answered this rhetorical question while jumping to a branch. "No. I grew up in district 3, the only climbing I ever did was to clear clogged machines."

He looked down at his left hand while saying this, it was void of the last two digits. Though she couldn't see his hand, Rue still felt bad for teasing him. "Try grabbing the branch from the bases, it's much more sturdy."

Matthew took this advice and, to his susprise, found it was true. He was able to inch his way up faster, of only slightly. Rue watched his progress, unfortunately this short lapse of concentration ended baldy. The parachute came free at once, and her hand was still on one part. Since it was clumped together, she didn't react fast enough, and they were both sent plummeting to the ground. Matthew, not knowing what was happening, instinctively gripped the trees base with all his limited might. As the parachute fell, it fell across Matthews branch, then slid off. However, Rue had enough time to switch her grip from the parachute to the branch. As the chunk of cloth fell to the ground, Rue was dangling from the branch Matthew was standing upon.

Once that was over, Matthew looked down, and was surprised. "Rue! Are you okey?"

He reached down and pulled her onto the branch. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for helping me up."

They they sat on the branch, as he was pulling her up, Rue noticed Matthews left hand was missing the last two digets. "You hand ... "

Matthews cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It's nothing."

From down below, Peeta picked up the parachute and rolled it up with the other three they got. Though there were others, not all could be retrieved. Some were too high, some were torn beyond use, other they knew could be used but would never go to. The upside down Peacekeeper is one example of the latter. Peeta was thankful that Katniss had come four nights ago. There was the obvious reason, but he also felt secure that if Katniss was around he was less likely to be murdered by the Careers, if only slightly. It had came too close recently, his personal areas still hurt from the stomping. When Matthew and Rue finally came down from the tree, it was mutually agreed to call it a day. On the way back to the camp, they came across a corpse. It was a rotted, curly haired ginger, lying face down, his body was so decomposed that rats and creepers didn't even bother to scatter. Crows fly overhead. They walked past it, Peeta using a stick to scatter the rats and crows. They tried to think of a possible demise for this poor tribute that didn't terrify them, and failed. It could have been a wolf or a mutt, then there are wolves or mutts. This could be the tribute Clove killed, Clove is a danger then. TrackerJackers might have done him in, wouldn't want those around. It could have been the stalker.


	6. Chapter 6:Downpour

It was raining, hard. The droplets of water poured down in torrents over the tent-huts on the south side of the glade. Inside, the first tent-hut, the Thresh, Rue, Matthews and the district 8 girl huddle around a smoldering pile of cinders. Since the floor of the tent-hut is dirt, a fire pit was dug a foot into the earth. In the second tent-hut, Katniss and Peeta tried to sleep despite the downpour, the latter having his arm over the former as they lay back to front. In the last tent, Cato, Glimmer, and Clove tried to get a fire lit. Marvel was wrapped in a blanket outside and far away from the tent-huts, for drinking unboiled water gave him diarrhea.

In the career tent closest to the river, Clove rubbed two sticks together in vain, for no flame arose from this. "I give up, this wood must not be dry enough. "

Cato sighed, and pulled out strips of preserved meats from the bag in the corner. "I guess we have to go cold turkey tonight."

They all chuckled weakly at this joke, then began to chew on their food. A strike of thunder banged outside. Clove looked outside nervously. "Do you think Marvel will be alright out there?"

Cato answered this question. "I'm not letting him in here, that's for darned sure."

Still nervous, Clove mumbled something about bringing him some food, wrapped a blanket around herself, and went out. Marvel was in the woods, some distance from the camp, so his diarrhea wouldn't sicken the others. Eventually, Cato an Glimmer got tired. Though Cato was determined to stay vigilant until his district partner got back. He allowed Glimmer to rest on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around him. Though thoroughly aroused, Cato had neither lasting privacy nor the needed warmth to act on this. Even before the moment they shared the night prior to the crash, Cato felt a deep affection to Glimmer. Despite not knowing her before the reaping, his feelings for her were strong. But what were they? He knew that he trusted her, and it didn't bother him that she was one of three people he trusted. I could be lust, but Cato somehow felt that wasn't it either. He wondered about his conflicting feelings until Clove returned and interrupted his thoughts. She was coated in rain, water dripping off her dark black hair as she pulled off the hood of her tribute outfit, which was the same rusty red as his own. Cato lifted his head up and asked. "How's Marvel doing?"

Clove pulled down the flap that acted as a door to the tent-hut, sat down next to Cato, and answered. "Still shitting his guts out."

Cato expected this. "Maybe next time he won't drink unboiled river water."

Clove laughed. "After this he'll boil bottled water before drinking it."

After laughing a bit, Cato reached for the sticks with his grubby, dirt matted paws. "I'll try one more time."

He rubbed them together a little bit, and sparks flew onto the tinder. Clove warmed her hands over the flames while Cato and Glimmer lied down on the deerskin that served as a blanket, snuggled together for warmth.

In the middle tent, Matthew, Rue, Thresh, and the district 8 girl huddle towards their fire for warmth. Matthew and Rue sit next to each other while Thresh sits on the other side of the fire and the district 8 girl huddles in a far corner of the tent. Matthew and Rue were the only ones whose voices could be heard, for the district 8 girl was as shy as Thresh was uncommunicative. "It's really coming down out there, it never rains like this back home. The buildings block most of it."

Rue was curious. "What's it like in district 3?"

Matthew answered weakly. "It's basically one big city, lots of buildings, lots of noise, smoggy air. It's not much to brag about."He continued. "I work with mechanical stuff a lot, mostly wiring. They make me clean out the machines when they get clogged. What's it like in district 11?"

Rue paused as thunder struck outside, then answered. "It's a lot of hard work too, I climb in the orchards to collect fruits. Our mayors very strict and we're not allowed to keep any of what we produce. When do you think we're going to get rescued?"

Matthew plundered this question for some time, unsure of an answer. When will help come? Do they even know there were survivors? After much reflecting on this, he gave out a answer. "Definitely not until the weather clears up, that's fore sure." He listened to the downpour and thunder outside, wondering when it will stop.

In the tent farthest from the river, Katniss and Peeta lay together beneath a thin blanket of parachute canvas. Peeta rested his arm over her. They were still wearing their heat reflecting outfits, yet were snugged close together for warmth, and maybe something else. Peeta had his arm wrapped around her, holding her right up to him, as though something cherished. Katniss was about to tell him that there was no need to keep up the act, but then a thought hit her. What if it wasn't an act, what if he meant what he said. While she felt how warm he was in contrast to the air around them, she pondered what it would mean if his feelings were real. It would not be possible to deny that she had feelings for him, but their intensity wasn't yet worked out. He stirred, and while asleep mumbled. "You smell nice."

After some time, she too slipped into sleep. It was raining outside, thunder boomed.


	7. Chapter 7:The decision

The rain cleared up around lunchtime of the next day, though their meals were becoming less organized. One by one, they found their way out of the tents. On the far side of the camp, near the edge of the woods, a slumped form was beneath a soaked through canvas, fast asleep. The others ignored it, except for Cato, who called. "Rise and shine sleepy head! Come on, time to get up. "

Marvel struggled with great difficulty to get up, but he eventually stood. His heat- reflecting pants were halfway off in the back, and his feet were covered with some of the stool. The rest of it was in a small hole that was dug so it could be buried. They were all revolted by this.

Clove spoke. "Go clean yourself off by the river, but go down river so we still have clean water. Eight, go make sure he washes off downstream. Also, boil some water for him so he doesn't freeze."

The district 8 girl went into the central tent and exited it with a canvas bowl and a blanket. She jogged to catch up with Marvel, who haven't gotten far because of his weakened condition.

Marvel walked downstream, past the pond, and stripped off his clothes before lowering himself into the river. The icy cold water rushed over his reclined naked body, up to his neck, washing the waste out from between his bottom and off his feet and legs. Marvels then rubbed his feet to be sure they were clean. Eventually he noticed the district 8 girl holding a bowl of hot water out to him, her face red with embarissment. Despite knowing why she was embarrassed, Marvel was too weak, cold, exhausted, and miserable to even care that she could clearly see his private area. He accepted the water, sipped it, poured some over his head, and drank the rest. He then returned the canvas bowl to the district 8 girl, who went to boil more water for him as was her orders. Marvel waited for her to return, using the sand in the nearby bank as cleaner. She returned thirty minuets later and gave Marvel the second batch of clean water, he thanked her and continued his first process.

While Marvel was bathing off the affects of his sickness, an important issue had to be addressed. The wreck of the hovercraft, which had acted as a fire/beacon since the group assembled, had been snuffed out by the rain. The group could now see the charred metal detritus, and the surrounding slurry of wet ash. Cato started the impromptu meeting by stating the obvious.

"The fire must have gone out during the rain."

He the continued by stating the less obvious. "We'll need to relight it if we want to be rescued."

Clove and Glimmer appeared to agree, and no doubt Marvel would also agree if he wasn't bathing right now. Katniss and Peeta exchanged looks, and after waiting for one or the other to speak Thresh said what they both, as well as Matthew and Rue, wanted to say. "De we even want to be rescued?"

This came as a surprise to Cato, though he hides it from his voice. "What the hellfire do you mean? Are you saying you don't want to be rescued?"

Katniss answered the affirmative. "They're just going to make us kill each other if they do. We're finally out of their grasp, so we shouldn't try to get their attention."

This upset Cato, Clove, and Glimmer, the former voicing his frustration. "That's ridiculous, too many tributes died for there to be a hunger games. And besides, they already know where we are."

Matthew corrected him. "They know where we were headed, buts they don't know if there were any survivors. We could stay hidden in the woods."

Clove got angry at this point. "Shut up, some of us actually have lives to return to. Just because nobody will miss you doesn't mean the rest of us have die in the wilderness."

This hit Peeta close to home, but he didn't show it. Try though he might it wasn't possible to conjure up an image of his mother mourning him. Despite internally hurt, he retorted. "I'd rather die in the wilderness than be killed it a Capitol arena."

Cato voided his frustration. "It that it? You're just scared because you know you have no chance of winning? You're a coward and a weakling!"

Katniss got upset by this and said so. "At least we're not pawns for the Capitol like you. You actually embrace the hunger games, you bloodthirsty brutes!"

Glimmer laughed condescendingly. "You'll have to think up another insult other than violent if you want to upset us, _fire girl_."

Rue threw their insults back at them. "Who are you calling cowards? You only want to get rescued because you don't know how to take care of yourselves." The careers were mad at this comment. They argued for half an hour more.

From out of the woods, a freshly cleaned and redressed Marvel stumbled into the crash-glade. The district 8 girl stayed behind to boil some water for them all. "What's going on, I sure could use something to eat."

Cato turned to Marvel and informed him of the situation. "Marvel, the others don't want to go home."

Marvel reacted as the other careers did. "Are you out of your minds! Why don't you want to go home?"

Thresh rebutted curtly. "Some of us don't want to die in an arena."

Marvel presented a point that hadn't occurred to any of them yet. "Don't any of you want to see your family's again?"

With the exception of an unloved Peeta, they all pondered this. Katniss was shaken by the thought that she would never see Prim again. Glimmer, and Marvel both had loving families back home. Despite her being beat and hurt in worse ways by her stepfather, Clove still wanted to return home for her uncle. Thresh definitely wanted to see his sister and grandma again before he died. Matthew missed his mother terribly since the reaping, and rue missed her siblings. Even Cato, who was raised by distant and emotionally unattached parents, still would like to see his cousin Lysander again. The only one who didn't want to return was Peeta Mellark. Between an abusive and violent mother who beats him, two brothers who look the other way to it, and a generally kind father whom wold divorce his wife if he finds out about what Peeta goes through, wilderness was preferable. Peeta clearly remembers a time when his mother looked him in the eyes and told him she will never love him and wishes he miscarried, Peeta Mellark was five years old during this event. Being near Katniss was probably the only good aspect about his drawn out existence.

After much talk, it was decided that the bonfire would be relight, if help came it came, and if not than not. As Marvel decided to whittle some of the wood into spears of javelins, as he was still too weak to hunt. Clove went to hunt in the southern part of the woods, Cato and Glimmer went to hunt in the North eastern part of the woods. Matthew went to the burnt remains of the hovercraft, which for the past few days was the fire pit. He pulled bits of metal from the wreckage and laid them in a pile next to the main tent-hut. Rue went over to help him collect the metal. Once the district 8 girl returned with a large amount of drinkable water, Peeta went up to Katniss and whispered in her ear for her to follow him. They went into the woods, careful not to draw attention from the rest of the group. As the district 8 girl laid the bowl on a wooden tripod built for boiling, she heard something rustling in the woods. Looking over her shoulder cautiously, she was almost certain they were being watched.


	8. Chapter 8:Foxface

In the woods south of the glade, Clove looks for prey. Holding a flint knife, she steps quietly through the trees. She remembers her first kill, how she ended the life of the district 5 boy with her fists. He didn't even put up a fight, just tried to cover his face with his hands. The other careers are mentally and physically prepared to snuff out other lives, but something was different about Clove. It was that she likes to kill, she gets pleasure from shedding the blood of others. And why shouldn't she? It's hard to not like something one has a talent for.

Clove spots a mockingjay singing a tune in a nearby tree. It will have to do. Clove throws her knife at the songbird, slicing off its left wing and sending it plummeting into the bushes. The knife lands up in the tree on which it was nesting. The knife is more important. Clove flounders up the tree gracelessly, making much noise. She tugs the knife free of the wood and bark, placing it in one of her pockets. She finds eggs, and places these in her pocket. She is about to climb down and collect the bird when a noise was heard. A small red haired girl fox-like walked through the bushes, attracting little attention to herself. The mystery girl picked up the dead songbird and placed it in her pocket. She then saw the footsteps Clove left when hunting, smiled, and started down this way. This made Clove mad. This was the stalker that's been watching them, and now she's stolen the bird that Clove killed. Clove couldn't let this parasite rob their camp, not even of the bird. Without warning, Clove took out her knife and jumped. The fox-like girl didn't even see it coming.

Clove lands on her target with unlikely ease, the girl happened to break her low fall. The two were rolling on the forest floor in an intense melee. Biting, clawing, punching, kicking, the two fought. Foxface landed a punch to Clove's face, but Clove kicked her and knocked her off balance. Clove had Foxface pinned down, and pulled out her knife to finish her off. As she swung the knife down on her victims head, Foxface grabbed Cloves arm in an attempt to deflect the blow . This was only partly sucessful, as the knife still rammed into her shoulder. The pain only made Foxface more pumped with adrenaline. In one fluid moation, she pushed Clove off her. Foxface grabbed the knife and held directly against Cloves throat with its intent of murder. Realizing the danger her life was in, Clove turned her head and bit Foxface's index finger clean off. A horrified Foxface looked past her hand and into Cloves face with wide eyes, the hand was gushing blood in torrents from the bone stub. Clove spit the finger out of her mouth, then licked the red off her teeth. In a panic, Foxface rushed hurriedly through the woods in any direction away from Clove. Though the thief stole her knife, Clove didn't think this thief would be back anytime soon. The mockingjay eggs in her pocket were smashed into a yellowish mess, yet she headed back to camp to retell her experience. She picked up the severed finger as proof, just encase nobody believed her.

Now there being a threat was no longer just paranoid suspicion, now it was confirmed. They would have to wait for the others and decide how to deal with this stalker.


	9. Chapter 9:The forming of an alliance

In the woods some ways north of the camp, Cato and Glimmer lie beneath the shade of a mighty timber, its large and imposing trunk reaching into the vast blue expanse. To Cato's right and Glimmer's left are red-tipped spears, to Cato's right beyond his spear was a slain moose. Cato lies with his left arm behind Glimmer's sleeping form. Despite being exhausted from recent hunting, Cato is determined to keep vigilant. Cato felt the warmth of Glimmer as she lie asleep beneath his right arm, effulgent in her slumber. Though he was confident that she wouldn't hurt him unless necessary, Cato never let his guard down completly. Just because she probably wouldn't hurt him doesn't mean something else won't pounce on the opportunity. The most important lesson he learned from his childhood was to never show weakness, a single slip-up can and will mean death. Yet around Glimmer, Cato feels he can ease up. Glimmer was the one who first proposed forming a career pack.

Cato and Glimmer were training at the spear throwers, it was there first day in the training facility. While Cato was lunging the spears into targets several yards away, Glimmer started throwing spears at the target next to his. She was throwing it well, though not as well as him. Cato throws a spear, then speaks. "You have a talent for this."

Glimmer throws a spear. "Well I should, this isn't my first time training."

Cato couldn't help but smile at this unintentional joke, as most for of the other tributes this is their first day training ever. "I bet it won't be easy fighting against you, the other tributes had better watch themselves. I know I will."

Glimmer wondered why Cato is talking to the competition, and looked around while thinking. She saw a male tribute vomit after eating a plant that's clearly labeled as not safe to eat, she saw a female tribute try to swing an mace and get pulled down by the weight, and she saw yet another trip and fall while running to a station. She doubted half of the tributes present would be able to tie their shoes on their own, then she looked at Cato. He was a clear contrast from the incompetent tributes. Large, muscular, determined, well trained, and prepared, Glimmer would have no shame if she was killed by this specimen. But the chances were there that if Glimmer didn't win on her own she would be killed by a mutt or a coward sneak attack, felled by a natural hazard, or die from exposure. Then an incompetent half-emaciated tribute would win by hiding out through the whole thing. She would be ashamed if she died by an accident and the crown went to someone who didn't deserve it. Cato definitely did deserve it, the crown should go to one of them.

She whispered in Cato's ear. "We could work together and thin out the competition."

A wide grin spread over Cato's face at the suggestion. Why hadn't he thought of this before, forming an alliance would increase their odds and spell death for the other contestants.

He whispered back. "I'm in."

They went worked out the fine details of their plot in-between spear throws, for this had to be done before the other tributes knew. They would both try to get their district partners into the deal, as well as the district 4 tributes, and maybe the district 11 behemoth. Marvel agreed right away, not having the mental patience to think about it or even let Glimmer finish her sentence. Clove took some convincing, but in an hour she saw the reason behind it. The district 4 tributes both agreed, and only Thresh declined. No matter, they could easily beat Thresh collectively. The stage was set to steal the 74th hunger games.

As Glimmer rested her head on Cato's chest, Cato recalled all of this. The only positive of the crash was that they didn't have to fight eachother, not yet. It was some comfort to be surrounded by careers like him, who were as skilled and determined as him. He felt that the careers could be trusted more than the others. There was also something else about Glimmer, feelings that passed between them. What were they? They had to be more than lust, for the warm conversations and mutual fondness wouldn't be there if they were only satisfying an urge. Could it be love? Cato shook this off. Of corse it he wasn't in love! He never felt love before, not even from his parents. His cousin Lysander was like a brother, but he spent most of his time training to be a peacekeeper in the acropolis and way barley seen. Cato wasn't like the twelves, he didn't have weaknesses! But yet, he knows he feels something for this beauty under his arm.

As the wind blew softly, he gently stroked Glimmer's shoulder until she stirred. "Psst, we have to get back soon."

They got up, packed up their stuff, and walked back. They both carried the moose,for it was giant. Even Cato couldn't carry it on his own! They carried the beast through forest to bring it back to the camp, where it's meat would be preserved or eaten, it's hide tanned, and it's antlers carved into daggers. He would give one to Clove, and Glimmer would keep the other. As they carried the meat package through the woods, they eventually reach the camp. In the camp, they see Marvel, Clove, Matthew, Thresh, and Rue discussing something. Clove, who was once again splattered with blood, stood up and beckoned for them to come.

"Good, your here. We need to have a meeting."


	10. Chapter 10:In the woods

In the woods, far from the others, Peeta lead Katniss to the place where eyes could be alone. Beneath the canopy of leaves and branches, they could talk without fear of intrusion. They made sure they weren't followed. Katniss spoke first. "Finally, we're alone."

Peeta looked over his shoulder to be sure, then nodded. They sat down among the tattered leaves and twigs, placing themselves close to each other. Peeta placed his hand on her shoulder, looking into her grey eyes. His heart beat steadily faster as he did this, for her eyes awoke something in him. He wanted to look into her eyes ceaselessly. Katniss felt the same in that moment, almost forgetting that their feelings weren't supposed to be real. They didn't need to exchange words, for an unspoken understanding was present. They kissed, and embraced passionately.

In twenty minuets, maybe thirty, they had finished. Both were exhausted from exertion, and they lie resting next to each other for some time. They slept peacefully, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and branches and shining life-giving light upon their bare skin. The forest was silent, interrupted only by their rhythmic taking-in of oxygen. For some time, they didn't move. Then, Katniss began to stir. Her grey eyes opened, and stared into the infinite blue ceiling above the foliage of leaves and branches. While looking at the cloudless sky, she thought about what they just did. Though her feelings were a mixture, regret was definitely absent. A still question had to be addressed; did he really love her. If he did, then she still had to figure out if she felt the same way. She had never done this before, and in fact had never felt love of this intensity before. If it was love she felt, than both experiences were new to her.

Peeta also began to awaken from his sleep. He was physically drained of all energy, and couldn't adjust his position so as to be leaning up. Katniss now sat up and pulled her tribute clothes back on, for the wind was growing stronger. Her skin had a Mediterranean color to it, though neither of them would ever know where that sea was.

Turning to Peeta, she broke the silence. "We'd better get back before the others wonder where we are."

Still lying flat on his back, Peeta responded, smiling as he did. "You know, we don't necessarily need to go back to the others."

Katniss responded. "How do you expect us to survive out here on our own? And besides, don't you want to be there when rescue comes?"

Peeta moved his arms, so he was leaning up. "I thought you didn't want to go home?"

As he pulled his clothes back on, she explained. "I don't want to go into the arena. I still would like to see my family again, but not if it meant I'd have to be killed. It's like you said, I don't want to be changed by the games either."

Peeta was silent for a moment, so Katniss asked what was implied. "Don't you want to see your family again?"

Peeta was silent for some more time, he thought about this. Did he want to see his family again? He obviously did not want to see his mother again, and his mother probably felt the same way, for she didn't love him. His childhood memories involved being slapped and punched since before he was five, force fed sleeping syrup whenever he couldn't sleep or had a bad dream of obvious origins, being told that his breakfast would be poisoned each morning, and being forced to lie to his teachers and his own father about the bruises. No Dad, I wasn't pushed, I only fell down the stairs. Peeta not only harbored resentment towards his mother but his brothers. Though he suspected his mother never hit them, he also knew that they let her hit him. His younger brother, Rory, actually walked in on his mother trying to force his hand into the brick oven. Rory saw this and walked out, never bringing it up ever. It was so bad, he considered taking up work in one of the coal mines once he was old enough. Despite the inhumane conditions down there, he would at least be away from the woman who hit him with a rolling pin whenever he made a mistake or 'worked too slow'. But what about his father?

Peeta had to admit that his father wasn't abusive towards him, and probably didn't know what he went through. When Peeta was just a little child, he would cry after being hit and his father would often come to see why he was crying. He would sometimes hug his son and tell him it was alright. Of corse, Peeta never told him why he was crying. How could he? He wasn't going to be the one to ruin his parents marriage, even if it meant he had to suffer. He eventually stopped crying around turning six, as his mother would only beat him worse if he cried.

Peeta finally gave an answer, after a long pause. "I guess I'd like to return home if the chance arose."

He didn't say he'd want to return to his family, he just said he wanted to return home. They looked into each others eyes for a moment, an unspoken connection present.

Then, with hesitation, he broke the silence. "We'd better get back to the camp by now." As if woken from a trance, Katniss nodded agreement. They walked back to the camp, their hands clasped together.

After crossing much distance between woods and trees, the weak glow of a bonfire could be seen. They crossed into the glade which had been formed by the crash. A bonfire was burning in the part of wreck closest to the tent-huts, not as big as the original one that encompassed the whole wreck, but it would still be seen for some distance. In the large gathering space between the bonfire and the tent-huts, the rest of the group were sitting in a circle. They were discussing something, and by their tones it was important. Clove was splattered with someone else's blood, and appeared to be holding something in her right hand. Matthew noticed the two, and stood up.

"Peeta and Katniss are here."

Cato looked over at them, and invited them to join. "Good, just in time. We need to discuses something.


	11. Chapter 11:The gathering

Matthew and Rue were pulling metal from the part of the wreckage closest to the tent-huts, and piling them in a heap that was to the south part of the glade while Marvel carved wooden branches into sharpened points. The district 8 girl carried wooden branches to Marvel, and collected firewood from the overturned trees and branches that the hovercraft uprooted upon colliding. Matthew and Rue hoped that clearing metal would make more room for a fire, while also freeing metal up for later use. They were surprised to see Clove pacing out of the woods and into the crash-made clearing. She was splattered with blood, and held something in her hand. Matthew and Rue placed the metal they were holding into the pile and looked up at Clove. Marvel also looked up, but he remained seated. Marvel asked first, as Matthew, Rue, and the district 8 girl feared they would only upset Clove by asking. "Clove, what happened to you? Did you fight an animal?"

Clove looked up, and answered. "No, it was another tribute."

She held up the Foxfaces severed finger, which horrified Rue, Matthew, and the district 8 girl as much as it impressed Marvel. "Well, I think its clear who won. We should tell Cato and Glimmer, they'd enjoy hearing this."

Clove continued. "I think she's stealing from our camp."

Marvel was now interested. "Tell us how you ... met this thief."

After explaining her fight to the four listeners, to the horror of the younger three and the amusement of Marvel, she finished. Marvel spoke first with a laugh. "You bit off her finger? She sure chose the wrong girl to mess with."

Clove calmed down a little, and Marvel continued. "Do you think she'll keep stealing from us?"

Clove wiped some of the blood off her face and out of her hair, but let the rest remain on her clothes. "She got my knife, so she might do more."

Rue spoke up critically. "Maybe if you tried talking with her instead of jumping out and biting her finger off, she wouldn't take your knife."

This made Clove visibly mad, so she growled out. "Don't try to turn this around on me. Even if I tried talking with her, she'd just run off and hide like the coward she is."

Marvel agreed, Matthew, Rue, and the district 8 girl didn't . "Clove, I think you did the right thing."

Clove smiled at this, but continued. "The question now is, what do we do about this thief?"

Matthew made a suggestion. "I still think we should wait for the others before making any desigions."

Marvel looked over his shoulder. "Where are the others? I haven't seen where Thresh went."

As if on que, the very same Thresh exits the woods and sees the gathering. Marvel looked up, and reprimanded him. "Where were you?"

Before Thresh could answer, Marvel continued. "You can't just go sneaking around willy-nilly, what if we needed to tell you something?"

Thresh sat down without giving a responce, clearly upset at the reprimand. Thresh didn't like being bossed around, but realized arguing wouldn't help. Clove filled the newcomer in on their predicament.

Thresh thought that Foxface could make a good ally, and said so. "Maybe if one of us goes to talk to her, she might make a useful ally."

Marvel scoffed. "What good could she possibly do? Even if she agrees, she'll just slit our throats and take all our stuff."

Clove agreed with this. "She's a parasite and I don't trust her."

Thresh gave a curt reply. "Well, if you don't like my idea, then anyone have any others?"

Matthew looked at the district 8 girl. "What about you, do you have any ideas?"

The district 8 girls eyes widened and she shrunk a little. Someone actually felt she could contribute to the discussion! She opened her mouth so as to speak but nothing came out.

Matthew coxes her. "If your gonna live with us for the time being, can we at least know your name?"

The district 8 girl answered after some difficulty, her voice almost a wisper. "My first name is Charlotte."

Marvel sneered at her. "Well, go on then! Tell us your master plan."

Charlotte fell silent, her head sinking until she was looking at the ground.

Thresh got them back to business. "No matter what we do, the hard part will still be finding her."

Marvel heard rustling behind his back, and told Clove under his breath. "Maybe they can help."

Clove stood up, and greeted Cato and Glimmer. "Good, your here. We need to have a meeting."

While Clove explained to the newcomers what they were discussing, all the non-careers present were still horrified by her gory description. The other three careers, however, were downright impressed. Before even being asked his opinion on the matter, Cato asked his own question.

"How many weapons do we have?"

Marvel answered slowly, as though in memory. "Well ... in total ... We have three real spears."

By real spears, Marvel meant that short-stakes didn't count. Cato continued. "You'll need to make more, as many as you can. If we're gonna get rid of this infestation, we'll need to be prepared."

Cato wasn't done planning out, but he was interrupted. Matthew stood up and pointed out the returning twelves. "Its Peeta and Katniss are here."

Cato looked at them, and invited them to join. "Good, just in time. We need to discuses something."

The twelves sat down in the gathering with the others, they both appeared more relaxed than usual. Clove explained their predicament, while the other careers interrupted to add whatever she forgot.

Peeta asked, "Why do we need to kill the Foxface? I don't think she'll bother us."

Cato rebuffed him with hard hand. "Just the fact that she might steal from us, or look of 'revenge', is enough reason why she needs to go."

Though Katniss didn't admit it, she agreed that any alliance with the Foxface would get a knife in their backs. Cato got back to describing his plan to the group. "We have metal, but we'll need to build a furnace to smelt it. Even before we get that, we should stockpile weapons."

Rue pointed out, "Is that really a good idea if there's really a thief?"

Clove reached to her side for her flint knife, only to remember it was missing. Cato barked to Rue, "Cram it, You didn't let me finish!"

From now on, nobody goes into the woods unarmed, and we take shifts guarding the camp."

The non-careers grumbled at this, Cato ignored this and suddenly his voice became hesitant. "I have an idea of where we might be able to find some supplies."

They all became silent, as they knew that Cato was referring to the dead pilot. More hesitant, Cato continued," I'd go by myself, but someone who can climb trees has to come."

At first, nobody spoke, but them Rue did. Her voice suggested that she regretted volunteering almost immediately. "I can come."

Cato nodded, and that was the most thanks that should ever be expected from him. After some time, he broke the silence. "Once we're prepared, we'll have a fox hunt."


	12. Chapter 12:A lone wolf

Cato and Rue soon found the pilot, still hanging upside-down by the foot. His face was now not only black with draining blood, but also rotted and foul as flies tear apart the body. Both of them felt their stomachs wrech, but they had to look for a tool. Rue climbed up the surrounding trees with ease, reaching high above the corpse, to the parachute ropes that held it. After struggling with the frayed cords and strings, Rue finally freed the poor peacekeeper of gravity's prison. The thing fell with a thud, sounding like a bag of sticks was dropped. Cato then went to the fallen, and pulled the rags that were once a parachute off the dead man. Once it was off, Cato could what had once been a living man. Though his stomach churned with a desire to vomit, Cato looked around his belt. He unhooked the belt, and pulled it free. From the belt, he was able to loose a peacekeepers knife, and a nightstick. He threw the molded belt onto the fallen, and was about to leave. But he turned around, and draped the torn parachute back over the body as a makeshift burial garb. Just as he was about to head to the river to wash these weapons, Rue was at the bottom of the tree. Cato said coldly, "What, never see a dead body before?"

Rue shakes her head, and they head back in silence. Though she wouldn't bring it up, she saw Cato pay respect to the fallen peacekeeper. They headed back to the camp in silence, Cato looking over his shoulder once after hearing a sound.

In the woods, Glimmer treads through the wooded terrain quietly, attempting to hunt. In her hands were gripped a spear which she could throw or thrust against any enemy. Rather than having tremendous skill at one or two weapons, Glimmer held moderate skill in several different weapon types. While she might not be able to throw a knife as well as Clove, or a spear as well as Marvel or Cato, or shoot an arrow as well as Katniss, she could swing a sword better than Clove, throw a spear better than Katniss, and shoot an arrow better than Cato. Glimmer could adapt her strategy when there wasn't a sword or bow, because she wasn't incompetent without one. As she stepped through the trees, she found what looked to her like a deer. She threw her spear, and felled the brown prey. The deer felt the spear pierce its middle, and let out a sharp shriek. It fell dead, eyes black as night. As Glimmer approached her victim so as to collect it, a a slurred growl was heard. From behind the cover of an old tree trunk, a snarling grey wolf charged Glimmer.

She barley dodged the frothing creature, and by the white foam that ran from the wolfs mouth, she can tell that being bitten by it would end badly. After the wolf turned around, she waisted no time. Glimmer threw the spear, and it hit the wolf in the left shoulder as it charged again. The fur-covered monster let out a sorrowful cry and ran towards her, spear in shoulder. Not wanting to be impaled, Glimmer again dodged the snarling monster. It jumped through where she was three seconds ago, and crashed into the tree. The spear was rammed deep into the creature, causing it to let out a rolling cry and be dead. Calling it a day, she hoisted the deer over her shoulder and began dragging it back to camp.

Glimmer entered the clearing that the crash had made, and laid the kill on the ground next to the bonfire. Cato, who was discussing how to go about a project with Peeta, Matthew, and Marvel, dropped what he was doing and went to greet her. His mood suddenly brightening, said; "Glimmer, its good to see you. We were just planning out how to build a forge, so we could use your help if you know anything about this."

Cato noticed the deer behind her, "It looks like your hunt went well."

What Glimmer told Cato wiped the smile from his face. "There was a sickened wolf, I killed it but there are probably more."

Cato became serious, "How did you know it was sickened? Did it bite you."

Glimmers thought for some time then responded, "It was frothing from the mouth and was unbalanced. It didn't bite me, or at least I don't think."

Cato let out a sigh of relief, "Well, we don't want to take any risks. Go to the river and wash off, be sure to bring a different spear."

He gave her the spear he held, and watched her as she walked into the trees in the direction of the nearby river. Though he smiled while watching her, once he was gone, he became upset. Just what they needed, the thought; now there are wolves


	13. Chapter 13:Hidden dangers

"No,That won't work. We can't build it with wood. It needs to be made of something less flammable."

After Cato rejected Marvels suggestion what to build the furnace with, he, along with Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, Matthew, and Peeta, all pondered this problem. While wood was plentiful, it was also flammable and would burn. The parachutes were too valuable to waste, so that was out.

Peeta suggested something. "We could use stones. If we carry them, then you and Clove could carve them into shape."

Cato dryly said, "Even if there were enough stones, which there arn't, neither me nor Clove are from quarrying families."

This was true, as the populous of the second district of Panem lives in villages, hamlets, and towns spread throughout the vast district. Clove was from a town of weapon makers, and as such grew up with knives in addition to being born for careering. Cato was from a cement mixers village that was also abundant in retired peacekeepers, and these veterans helped his father to mold and train him into what he is today.

Marvel suggested something again, taking the risk of revealing more stupidity. "We could use the wreck as a furnace."

Matthew pointed out the flaw. "No, the structure would melt once the fire was hot enough for smelting."

Peeta then said, "We could make bricks. Back home, I used to cook bread in a brick oven."

Glimmer retorted condescendingly, "We're heating metal, not bread, in case you forgot. And besides, where would we get the needed cement?"

Marvel corrected her, finally being right. "Bricks can sometimes be made with mud, which we can get from the river."

Clove smiled at Marvel's rare moment of intelligence, before approving this. "Bricks will work. It's a good idea, Marvel."

Cato piled on, "Now that our resource problem is solved, thank you Marvel, where should we build it?"

Peeta was annoyed that they didn't give him credit for his idea, and showed this in a frustrated tone of voice when he addressed the next step. "We could build it over the bonfire, and cook our food in it."

Glimmer rebuffed this suggestion. "We can't cook our food in the furnace, the traces of metal will make it unedable."

Matthew decided to defend Peeta by saying, "How do you know?"

Glimmer smirked while answering. "I come from a gold-crafters family, I think I know a thing or two about smelting."

Cato made the final say, "I agree with Glimmer, the furnace will have to be separate from the bonfire. I think we should build it on the other side of the tents, so that we have two fires. I thought about building it near the river, but then we'd have to fight of wolves to reach it." The others agreed on this, and the plan was set.

As they went about gathering mud and soil in carved wooden bowels, and laying them in makeshift wooden molds, Thresh was out in the woods, secluded and away from the others. He sat down in a glade just large enough for him to sit down, the light shining through the woodlands in this circle and only this circle for some distance. He brought only the clothes he wore to this sanctuary, leaving behind both weapon and food. Both he made or caught himself, but he still left it back at the camp. Here, he was surrounded only by the rustling of leaves as the wind drags its long fingers through the hair of the trees. He allowed himself the luxury of letting his guard down, and allowing his eyes to close as he sat cross-legged among the leaves and dirt. The thought of neither wilderness nor crash, he momentarily forgot Games of Hunger and lack of food. His minds eye might have fooled itself into thinking it back in the seemingly endless fields of district eleven during a short break in the monotonous toil.

From behind him, and in the bushes, a red-haired figure crouched. In her left hand is gripped a flint knife that she paid dearly for. She was not left handed. Her sleeve was torn off, and wrapped around the stub where her right index finger once was. The sleeve bandage was bled through and filthy, the stub beneath ached with pain. Foxface shuddered at the thought of the district 2 female. She didn't even see it coming, and never let her guard down again. If any of the others were as vicious as the district 2 one, Foxface had to keep her distance. She held her knife up, and one swing could kill Thresh right there. Still, she did nothing. She held the flint knife as though to strike down, but did not. She put the knife back to her side, backed away from Threash, and went back into the woods. Thresh looked over his shoulder, wondering weather or not he heard a slight crunching of leaves.


	14. Chapter 14:Knife and fang

Cato rubbed the greasy cloth over a fine knife. This knife was carved of the antler of a large moose, sharpened to extreme strength. This knife could cut through both meat and men, as he intended. It hasn't yet been used, only tested. The yellowish bone gleamed as he polished it with venison fat. Once satisfied, he placed it in a fine scabbard made of elk pelt. The person he had in mind for it would no doubt be pleased. Placing the scabbard in his pocket, Cato watched Glimmer, Marvel, and Clove sleep. They were asleep on a 'mattress' of pelts from various deers, elks, moose, and other animals that they killed and skinned. Marvel was one of the few present who knew how to tan leather and fur, the other was Katniss. They had a blanket of parachute canvas, but they still wore their heat-reflecting tribute clothes. Cato took the early watch, so he was up first. Strapped to his side was the Peacekeepers nightstick, as the tent-hut was not big enough for spears to be useful. Still, the nightstick is only his primary weapon until the furnace is built, then he can craft a sword.

Today was one of the rare occasions that Cato decided to be nice for no reason at all. He got out the smoke-preserved deer meat, and began to cook breakfast for the other careers. He rubbed the tinder together and lit a small cooking fire. Using wooden prods as skewers, Cato roasted the meat. The smell of the breakfast slowly eased the other three out of bed, Marvel mumbling in his sleep, "Mmmm ... Bacon".

Eventually they sat up, and Cato handed a sheer of meat to each of them. They picked meat off with their hands before scooping it into their mouths. Fat was dripping down their faces and their hands were equally greasy. The warm meat tasted exceptionally good after a cold night, and they ate to their fill. They didn't worry about over-eating, as there was an large supply of meat that had been smoked, jerked, or otherwise preserved. They broke the bones of the deer open and sucked cartilage out. After licking their hands, which they used to wipe their faces clean, they rested around the fire for ten minutes. Glimmer pulled out a canteen she carved from her moose antler, and jiggled it a little. It made a swishing sound, and she pulled the stopper of the top and began to drink the water. The cool liquid trickled down her throat, washing down the meat.

Once they finish eating, they left the tent-hut through the door. Since it is a small door, they have to exit one at a time. Once out, they head to the main bonfire for warmth. It was especially windy that day, and the gusts flew orange and brown leaves through they air. Out of the tent hut farthest from the river, Katniss and Peeta emerged and also sat down besides the bonfire. There was some distance between them and the careers, who agree with they're keeping distance from the career pack. Soon the others went to the fire to join them, and after a few minutes, they went about their tasks. Cato and Clove went to hunt together in the woods, the rest went to make mud bricks for the furnace.

Once in the woods and far from the others, they began to search out prey. An elk is seen chewing on a tuft of grass. Clove nods, and Cato thrusts his spear through the air, it flies through the mid section of the elk, pinning it against the tree. As they approach it, the beast tries to escape but is pinned down. In one fluid motion, Cato twisted the beasts neck and killed it. Clove bends down to carry it, and Cato squatted down next to her before she could pull out the Peacekeepers knife. Handing her the knife of moose antler he carved for her, he said; "Here, this might help you."

Upon being handed the blade, Clove's eyes grew wide. Her cheeks blushed red. "Cato ... "

Cato shrugged. "Your welcome." He lugged the elk over his shoulder, and they went began to head back.

On their way back, Clove began to hear something. She turned around to see what it was, but it already retreated back behind the camouflage of the trees. She shrugged, it was probably nothing. They continued back to camp, but a few moments later, Clove again heard the sound. This time, she was sure it was a growl. She grabbed Cato's shoulder, and her turned around. "Cato, I think something's following us. Or someone."

Cato let the elk fall to the forest floor, and held up his spear. They both stood between the elk, so anything that wanted to steal it would have a fight on its hands. From out of the woods ran a large black wolf, flanked by a smaller grey wolf on its left and three on its right. They jumped on Cato, growling as they went. He was able to use his spear as a bat and knock down two, but they hopped back up and attacked again. One of the grey ones that was knocked back circled around and tried to attack Clove. Brandishing a long knife, she slit the throat of the assailant as she side stepped its charge. One of the grey wolves tried to bite Cato's left leg, but he managed to dodge in time. While dodging, he spun his spear around and swung in down in one fell swoop, pithing the wolf through the brain. When the last grey wolf circled around in an attempt to attack Clove, she pulled the butt of the spear, which was still buried into wolf and ground, and pointed it towards the wolf. It was impaled by the spear, which was sharpened at both ends so it could be thrown easier. Three young grey wolves materialized from beyond the trees, attacking Cato with the black wolf. Cato pulled out the Peacekeepers nightstick and struck back the black wolf, and hammered down he of the reinforcing wolves with the butt of the club. When Cato's victim attempted to regain footing, Cato swung the Peacekeepers nightstick down over and over until it was red to the hilt. Clove stabbed the other grey wolf in the eye, twisting the blade before pulling it out. The black wolf growled at the two careers, and was in stance to charge. But rather than assault like the others, this one turned and ran off. The grey wolf who lost an eye followed suit.

Cato and Clove stood tensed for more minutes, as though expecting more. Cato looked at Clove and addressed the elephant in the room, gulping in air after the fight."What ... where did those wolves come from?"

Clove let out a nerves laugh, "I don't have a damned clue. But I'm sure Marvel and Glimmer will he able to weigh in."

Cato carried the elk over his shoulder and the smallest slayed grey wolf under his arm. Clove carried the largest felled grey wolf over her shoulders. Both were covered in blood, it was warm. As they headed back, they constantly looked over their shoulders at all sounds.


	15. Chapter 15:The second gathering

All the tributes sat gathered around the bonfire, discussing what to do. Cato and Clove were covered in blood, everyone else was covered in mud. Cato asked first.

"Well, that's basically what happened. Any suggestions on how to deal with this?"

Rather than answer Cato's question, Katniss said, "wolves don't normally attack people unprovoked. Something must have forced them to attack you."

Glimmer said, "Whatever it was, those wolves need to go. I think we should start thinning their numbers right away."

The other careers nodded and muttered in agreement. Peeta, echoing the thoughts of the other tributes, said, "I don't think that's a good idea."

Cato answered with a raised voice and threatening tone, "How useless are you? You can't hunt or fight, and now your too cowardly to go into the woods. In case you've forgotten, this isn't a bakery."

Peeta retorted, "Just because I'm not dumb enough to run blindly into wolf infested woods without any preparation doe not make me a coward."

Cato tensed,reached for his spear, and made as though to get up. Glimmer, knowing that they were outnumbered and disadvantaged for a fight, reached her arm behind his back and stroked his shoulders so as to placate Cato. Clove broke the silence, "Look who's talking about being unprepared. Unless we watched different videos of the reapings, your partner volunteered herself without any traning."

Katniss angrily responded, "I volunteered so I could protect my sister from the games."

Marvel added to the antagonism. "Letting you sister starve to death without your nurturing is a real good way to protect her, spot-on parenting."

Cato and Glimmer both smiled at this witticism, and Clove chuckled softly. Matthew and Charlotte both maintained perfect eye contact with the ground, attempting desperately stay out of this dispute. Thresh reclined himself against a tree, and Rue scooted to the outskirts of the meeting huddle; neither wanting to get involved.

Katniss responded with rising temper, "I didn't want my sisters life to be in danger. This may seem suprizing, but some people actually don't like the Hunger Games."

Clove laughed out her thoughts on this, and the other careers smirked. Peeta asked, "How is this funny to you?".

Clove began to taunt them while the other three careers began to laugh. "Ooh boo hoo. You have to eat only the best food, and are given a 1/24 chance of never going hungry again. It must be so hard."

Marvel corrected her, "Remember Clove, their chances are much, much less. Maybe about 1/240, on a good day, with all the sponsors."

Katniss didn't hear them, as she already stormed off into the woods. Peeta, in disgust at the careers, followed her. Soon, after the laughter died down, the remaining went about their activities. Cato, followed by Glimmer, went to hunt in the woods, going in the opposite direction of the Twelves. Marvel and Clove both carved spears at the camp, and the rest went back to making bricks near the river.

There was still some daylight left, so Marvel and Clove carved new spears outside. They both were using flint shards to sharpen wooden branches into spears, and soon began to talk. The wind was blowing, and leaves of red, orange, brown, and yellow began to twirl through the air. Marvel stopped carving when a brown oak leaf was blown into his face. After a short time, he noticed the leaf and, with his right hand, crumpled the leaf into brown crumbs on the forest floor. Clove, who watched this, began to laugh softly. However, to laughter was not in a taunting manner, like their laughter at the Twelves. Clove laughed in a teasing manner.

Noticing this, Marvel asked; "And what's so funny? Haven't you ever seen a left handed person before?"

Clove, after stifling her laughter with her hand, answered. "It was on you for ten minutes and you just noticed it. I mean, your reaction time is pretty bad. District Twelve bad."

Marvel shook his head while smiling, "It was just a leaf. If it was a threat, my reflexes would have been cat-like."

Without missing a beat, Clove said; "In other words, you'll get on all fours and hiss until it goes away."

Marvel decided to have some fun. "Look out, there's a wolf right behind you."

Clove swung around immediately, looked into the woods for a little, and turned to face Marvel. "That's not funny, the wolves are a serious threat."

Marvel made his voice exaggeratedly deep. "Look out Clove, I'm going to bite your toes unless you clean your room."

Clove pleaded, "Marvel, this isn't funny."

Now it was Marvels turn to laugh. "Alright, alright. I'll stop, but you have to admit it was a little funny."

Clove scooted closer to Marvel. "Okey, maybe if we were six it would have been funny."

They both moved close to the bonfire, and now were sitting next to eachother. Marvel looked into the orange tangle before them, being at ease as he absorbed the heat.

Quietly, in almost a wisper, Marvel said, "This kind of weather reminds me of home. During weeks end, my Dad and I would sit around the fireplace when we finished training. A warm blanket and a mug of cider, he'd tell me stories about grandpa."

Though Clove heard, she felt that Marvel didn't intend for her to hear, so no comment was made. Clove watched the fire and searched for similar happy memories. At first, this was unsuccessful. She could almost feel the switch against her back, cutting her skin. She could still hear his screaming obscenities an inch from her ear. Punches, kicks, and being locked out in dead winter aren't good memories. Then there are darker memories that Clove won't even admit she experienced, instead locking them in the most isolated corners of her mind. But not all of her childhood was bad. She still fondly remembers waking an hour before the rest of her house and checking the mailbox, finding letters uncle Thread sent her. She would keep it in her pocket, and pour over the letter during lunch at school. She has to do this at school, as her mothers husband won't let them receive mail from him. On extra special occasions her uncle, Romulus Thread, would take a leave of absence from his Peacekeeper duties and visit her in person. Her uncle loved her, but Clove would never tell him. 'I fell down the stairs' she would say, 'Don't tell mom, but I got in a fight at school' would be the lie she told him if he suspected his little Clovey of fibbing. Even still, Clove has a vague memory of the type of person her father was. So much unlike her mothers husband, this man never struck Clove, nor her mother. Clove was never scared of this man, the man who's last name Clove kept. But this man who loved her, he hasn't been alive since Clove was five.

Clove reached into her pockets, continually looking, until she found it. She pulled out her tribute token, it was a wrinkled and musty picture. The picture was of her real father carrying her on his shoulder. The man in the picture appeared to be in his late twenties and had the same dark black hair as Clove. His big smile and kind eyes stood out in this particular picture. After looking at this picture for a minute, then looking over at Marvel to be sure he was still lost in his thoughts, Clove placed the picture back in her pocket. She looked into the fire, clearing her mind.


End file.
